SPATIALLY ADDRESSED LIPID BILAYER ARRAYS AND LIPID BILAYERS WITH ADDRESSABLE CONFINED AQUEOUS COMPARTMENTS

摘要

Disclosed are spatially addressed arrays of discreet fluid lipid bilayersprepared by flexible patterning methods that faciliate thecompartmentalization of lipid membranes and aqueous solutions disposed thereoninto discreet, spatially addressable, microarray partitions, onto specific anddiscreet locations of a substantially planar solid support. This process caneither be used either in parallel or sequentially to pattern thousands ofdistinct membranes on a single "biochip", and to assay pluralities of selectedanalyte components contacted with the discreet lipid bilayer compartments forone or more target molecules. Also provided are biochip microarray systems andmethods for their production that comprise arrays of confined aqueouscompartments disposed upon such compartmentalized lipid bilayers. The aqueouscompartments are independently addressable, thereby facilitating reagentdelivery, reagent extraction, analytical probe and high-throughput analytescreening methods.